Powerful typhoon causes damage in South Korea

A powerful typhoon has battered southern South Korea, injuring 30 people and knocking out power to about 27,790 houses, officials said today.

Typhoon Tapah earlier lashed parts of Japan's southern islands with heavy rain and strong winds that caused flooding and some minor injuries.

South Korea's interior ministry said Monday the typhoon also brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to southern South Korean cities and towns on Sunday and Monday. 

The storm did not make landfall on the Korean Peninsula as it moved northeast and dissipated later on Monday, South Korean weather officials said.

Japan's meteorological agency earlier said the typhoon had weakened and was downgraded to a tropical storm with surface winds up to 90 kilometres (55 miles) per hour.

The South Korean interior ministry said one person was hurt seriously and the 29 others had minor injuries. Some South Korean media had reported three deaths, but the ministry said none of those fatalities were caused by the typhoon.

The storm flooded streets, damaged houses and led to about 250 flight cancellations at 11 airports in South Korea, according to the ministry report.